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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29762220">a thin line</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/unheavenly/pseuds/unheavenly'>unheavenly</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fate: The Winx Saga (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Farah and Rosalind have a child together, Magical Pregnancy, Unexpected Pregnancy, the first couple chapters will be set pre season 1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:01:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,764</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29762220</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/unheavenly/pseuds/unheavenly</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"I'm Willow."  The girl said, entirely too happy for six in the morning, ashy blonde flyaways framing her face like a halo. "After my sire's favorite tree. It's nice to meet you!"<br/><br/>----<br/><br/>"What's your favorite tree?"</p>
<p>It's the entirely wrong time to ask, but Bloom can't ignore the sinking feeling she's had for weeks now, ever since she'd first seen a picture of the woman before her.</p>
<p>She tries to be shocked when the answer is willow.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bloom/Original Female Character(s), Farah Dowling &amp; Ben Harvey &amp; Saul Silva, Farah Dowling/Rosalind, Original Female Character(s) &amp; Farah Dowling, Original Female Character(s) &amp; Rosalind, Original Female Character(s) &amp; Terra (Fate: The Winx Saga), Sam Harvey/Musa, Terra &amp; Original Female Character(s) &amp; Sam Harvey &amp; Sky (Fate: The Winx Saga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>62</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. the night before</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Just a warning, updates may be sporadic.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The night was long, and full of danger. They were too close to Aster Dell to confidently sleep without fear of attack, and so they slept in shifts.</p>
<p>Farah had assigned herself this shift, but looking at Rosalind's stone faced countenance, she was coming to regret it. </p>
<p>This version of her lover had always troubled Farah, cold eyes and stern determination replacing the slight smile and joking tone Rosalind normally reserved for her when they were alone, even in the midst of their most brutal training. </p>
<p>But this was not <em>her</em> Rosalind, as much as Rosalind would allow herself to be known by another.</p>
<p><em>This</em> was the general who had led countless assaults on the Burned Ones, the one who would lead them in this next charge. </p>
<p>And as Farah studied her features, she couldn't quite grasp where this was going. After the attack today, the war would, <em>should</em>, be over.  But she knew nothing of what Rosalind wanted after. </p>
<p>Rosalind cracked her eyes open, glancing at Farah sideways. "You're staring." Farah fought the urge to blush. </p>
<p>"I just wanted to ask..."</p>
<p>It was the eve before battle, before the threat of the Burned One's was sure to be eradicated, and perhaps that was what gave Farah the courage to speak the question that had been on her mind. </p>
<p>"What will happen after the war? What will you do?" </p>
<p>The future, an ever present what will <em>we</em> do?, that Farah had tentatively begun to allow herself to think of lately, remained unspoken.  </p>
<p>"I will go on to the next mission, as will you, Farah, if you wish to remain on this deployment. The war with the Burned One's might be nearly over, but it is not won yet." Rosalind developed a harsher tone as she went on. "After, my expertise will be required elsewhere." Farah winced. She had hoped...well, it did not matter what she had hoped.</p>
<p>"I do not mean abandoning your missions entirely. But with this large swath of Burned One's gone, there will be less danger. And besides, what is the harm in merely talking about a future home, or family?"</p>
<p>Rosalind cut her off, a groove between her eyebrows. "Family? Family is an attachment, a weakness I will not tolerate."</p>
<p>Farah flinched. "Oh." She breathed out, a tightness in her chest that she did not expect. She didn't know why she thought it would be different. Rosalind had always been focused towards duty, the next mission. But it still hurt to hear her dismiss even the idea so entirely. </p>
<p>The fairy beside her looked over at her, sensing the disquiet.  "Oh, don't pout, Farah."</p>
<p>At Farah's continued silence, she sighed.  "Perhaps if this is was a different time, and I, a different person." She conceded slightly. "But this is the time, and the world we live in, and to have a  family, or  a home, is a liability, an attachment a soldier can never truly shield from harm. I will not afford for that weakness, now or in the future. My first priority must be my mission.”  </p>
<p>Rosalind cast a sharp glance in Farah’s direction. “And I do hope you are not considering it. That would be…unfortunate.” Farah tried not to flinch at the implicit threat in Rosalind’s voice, or the possessive hand she now rested on her shoulder. “No, of course not.” </p>
<p>"Good."</p>
<p>It was silent for a few minutes, Farah trying to gather her thoughts to say what exactly, she didn't know,  and Rosalind watching the lightening of the pre-dawn sky. They both kept half an eye and ear on the forest, and the resting faces of the remainder of their unit.</p>
<p>Ben's face, even in sleep, was pinched, twisted with some hidden worry. Perhaps about his wife, sixth months pregnant with their second child, and how she was fairing without him, or perhaps about the task ahead of them come the morning.</p>
<p>Rosalind laid her hand on Ben's shoulder and adopted a somewhat softer countenance than she usually allowed outside of rare, peaceful moments. Her irises glowed a sheer white as she studied him. "He is...troubled. He wishes to be home." </p>
<p>Her lips twisted in displeasure. Farah had to look away at the slightly mocking glint in Rosalind's eyes.</p>
<p>"His wife is pregnant." She offered in a near silent appeasement. </p>
<p>"And we have a mission in the morning. A night of troubled sleep will only fuck up his concentration."</p>
<p>Farah looked up from Ben,  staring into the low hanging branches of the forest around them, amplifying  the sounds until a steady chorus of cicadas and the whistle of wind through the leaves. </p>
<p>Rosalind glanced at her, slightly confused.</p>
<p> "I've heard some of the  other units ask their mind fairies to do something similar. They claim it helps them sleep." Farah offered as an explanation.</p>
<p>She hadn't, not really-instead, she had discovered this soothing application of her own power when she had herself had amplified the sounds of Rosalind's heartbeat and breathing, or sometimes that of Saul or Ben or Andreas. She'd amplify some combination of their heartbeats after bloody clashes with Burned One's, or on particularly hard nights. It helped her sleep, a steady reminder that they were all alive, that they had survived. </p>
<p>But Rosalind didn't like weakness, wouldn't tolerate it in any of her unit, and certainly not in someone she...Farah was hesitant to say loved, because sometimes Rosalind seemed like she loved her-when they fucked right after one of them had almost died, when she glared at Andreas for staring just a tad too long, when she pressed tender kisses to Farah’s scars, as if seeing them for the first time, when she caught Rosalind looking at her in her own certain soft way, with something, some emotion Farah had no name for written across her face-but none of that added up to love.</p>
<p>None of that explained the cutting looks Rosalind would level her with, when Farah just...wasn't good enough, or the brutal one-on-one training sessions that followed those looks, training sessions that wouldn't stop until she was unconscious or throwing up. </p>
<p>So perhaps care was a better word for what Rosalind felt for her. </p>
<p>But no matter the label, Farah knew that Rosalind would not tolerate any weakness from her. And the fear she felt on those nights certainly was weakness. </p>
<p>"Are you alright?" </p>
<p>Farah realized she had been caught in her head too long for it not to be noticed. "Yes. I was just...listening to the forest. It is peaceful." It was a poor excuse, but Rosalind was distracted enough in her concern for Ben that she did not catch it.</p>
<p>"For now. We are lucky that the Burned Ones are focused on Aster Dell, and none have yet decided to explore the land around it."</p>
<p>Later, Farah would look back on this moment and ask why she had not thought to ask questions. Why were the Burned Ones so intent on Aster Dell? Perhaps  question Rosalind's reasons for not disclosing that fairies could join their magic before this, at previous battles when it would have been useful. </p>
<p>But for now...For now, Rosalind was her mentor, and more besides. She may be flawed, perhaps, but ultimately, Rosalind was a good soldier, and a good leader. She would not betray them.</p>
<p>So Farah bit her tongue and alternated between watching the forest and the way the  arrival of the sun slowly lit up the highlights in Rosalinds hair.</p>
<p>The rest of their unit-Andreas, Saul, and Ben-slowly started to stir as the minutes passed by. </p>
<p>When the sun was just branching through the trees, Rosalind stood up, gesturing for Farah and the rest to do the same.</p>
<p>Farah tried to follow her, but when she attempted to stand, her vision darkened slightly at the edges and she stumbled into the tree at her back, gasping slightly. She braced herself firmly against the trunk, breathing slowly in and out until her vision cleared up. Her stomach roiled briefly as she caught her breath. </p>
<p>"Are you alright, Farah?" Ben asked, still blinking sleep from his eyes while rifling through the medical kit included in the sparse supplies they'd taken last night. </p>
<p>"Yes." Farah affirmed.  " There is no need for any fuss, I just stood up a little fast, but," she took a deep breath and pushed away from the tree, though there was still a slight shakiness in her limbs. "I am good now."</p>
<p>She waved off Ben as he continued to flit uncertainly around her-Saul and Andreas had stayed back, Andreas continuing to pack the bedding from last night away, while Rosalind watched her worriedly. </p>
<p>"I'm fine, and we should move out now if we intend to reach Aster Dell soon. "  Farah easily met Rosalind's glowing white eyes as she pushed the incident to the back of her mind. Rosalind turned, looking at the rest of their unit.</p>
<p>"Farah is well enough." She confirmed, lacing her arms behind her back and pacing  in front of them as the last remains of their camp were gathered up. Farah easily lifted her lightweight pack and stood in a row alongside Ben. </p>
<p>Despite her waving him off, he still looked over her with a concerned gaze, nervously picking through his medical supplies.</p>
<p><em>"I'm fine.</em>" She assured, gently projecting the thought into his mind. </p>
<p>She could feel his reluctance to accept her word as fact, but he eventually nodded, and refocused on the orders Rosalind was doling out. Orders that she herself had been neglecting to listen to while she had reassured Ben. </p>
<p>Her distraction had been noted, she could tell by the slight irritation coloring Rosalind's voice and the heat of her glare as she tuned back in. </p>
<p>"...our intelligence, the Burned Ones are converging in overwhelming numbers on Aster Dell. Aster Dell itself was shortly evacuated after reports were gathered of Burned One's approaching, and now contains no civilians."</p>
<p>Farah tried to miss the slightly amused curl of Rosalind's lips as she said those last words, like an inside joke she wasn't in on. </p>
<p>Andreas lifted his pack to his shoulder. Farah, and the rest of their unit, mirrored him. </p>
<p>"You have your orders." Rosalind looked them over impassively, already shouldering her own supplies.</p>
<p>"It's time to move out." Farah nodded, falling into step behind Ben as they moved out of the clearing and into the imposing treeline.</p>
<p>As they set out for Aster Dell, she tried to ignore the slight weakness she still felt in her limbs, and the concerned weight of Rosalind's stare on her back.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. realizations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter contains a somewhat graphic description of dead bodies and third degree burns. If this bothers you, please be aware of this fact/do not read the section between</p><p>...all that remained of their unit, at least-went back to Aster Dell...</p><p>and</p><p>...So it was three weeks later when she realized...</p><p>Also, there are descriptions of pregnancy symptoms, ie vomiting, in this chapter as well.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was almost four weeks later when Farah realized, on her fifth straight day of waking up and immediately feeling the need to puke.</p><p>Perhaps it might sound strange, to have not noticed anything different during those weeks. But she had woken up well before the crack of dawn every morning to travel to Aster Dell. The ruins of the township were not exactly an environment conductive to noticing all of her bodies changes, and her periods had been irregular for months, which she'd assumed  had been a side effect of the near constant fighting and stress. </p><p>She'd travelled there every day for the past three weeks, because there were not 'no civilians' in Aster Dell, there were <em>hundreds</em>. And now, now they were strewn about the village they had called home, like some callous giant's crumpled toys.</p><p>Princess Luna-Queen Luna now, Farah supposed, after her mothers death-had agreed to shield Aster Dell from outside eyes when Saul had petitioned her, and provided the basic schematics for a prison for Rosalind. No one could stay forever in magically binding cuffs, after all. </p><p>The day after she, Saul and Ben had locked Rosalind in her prison, they had all-all that remained of their unit, at least-went back to Aster Dell. </p><p>She would never forget the smell of the corpses that had not  been burnt to a crisp by their magic. Like one of the times they'd cooked a wild pig over an open fire to avoid going hungry.</p><p>The bodies-most charred beyond recognition-had skin melted to their clothes in some cases, patterns of burn marks adorning the flesh of arms or legs in some grotesque mockery. </p><p>It was horrid to know that this massacre was the result of her magic.</p><p>That first day she'd returned, she had decided to bury them. She couldn't just leave them there for the vultures. This massacre was <em>her fault</em>. <em>She</em> had trusted Rosalind, and all her honeyed words. <em>She</em> had been so blinded by her love-her affection for Rosalind that she had ignored all discrepancies. And so it was her responsibility to bury them. </p><p>Ben couldn't find any of the records for the village, all burnt to a crisp by the lightning and fire that they had called down on these people's heads, and so she didn't know their names. It was a small thing to fixate on, when faced by the utter devastation around her, but...she did not know their names, and that felt wrong, on an almost instinctual level. She had killed them. Surely she should at least know what names to put on their tombstones. </p><p>Despite, or perhaps because of the lack of names,  Farah could not consign herself to  bury the people of Aster Dell in a mass grave, or leave them to rot where they fell. </p><p>So she-and Ben, on the days in which he was not tending to Rose and their unborn child-buried them. If they could reasonably guess at a relation between two or more of the corpses, they would be buried together.</p><p>In the following days and weeks as she returned again and again the smell had only gotten worse, like rotting meat laced with sickly sweet perfume.</p><p>She could smell the scent of death from nearly a hundred feet away. </p><p>It near constantly made her nauseous, and she often found herself retching in the grass around Aster Dell. </p><p>So it was nearly four weeks later when she realized, truly realized, that the nauseousness occurred not only near Aster Dell or after a nightmare, but <em>all the fucking time</em>, especially when food was cooking. </p><p>Farah leaned back from the toilet, staying close in case her gorge rose again. If she was right, if she truly was pregnant, then Rosalind was the child's sire. And that...the thought of that might once have filled her with joy. Now most of what she felt was dread. Rosalind, who had slaughtered hundreds of people scarcely four weeks ago. Rosalind, who most likely hated Farah for helping sealing her away in the tunnels beneath Alfea. <em>Rosalind</em>, who refused to tolerate a weakness.</p><p>She tried pulling her hair away from her face, but strands of it escaped her shaking hands. "Fuck." This couldn't be happening. They had been careful. And-her stomach roiled again when she caught whiff of the eggs she'd been in the middle of cooking a few minutes earlier. </p><p>"Shit." She cursed again as she knelt to clutch the toilet bowl again. She half laughed, half sobbed as she retched again. A little bit of bile that had not come up when she first rushed into the bathroom splashed into the toilet. </p><p>She reached up and flushed the toilet to get rid of smell. Farah stumbled up and over to the sink now that the nauseous feeling had passed. She cursed the weakness in her limbs, brought on, she was sure, by the vomiting.</p><p>She glanced up at herself in the mirror. Her face was red, her nose slightly peeling from her weeks under the hot sun near Aster Dell. Her eyes were slightly red rimmed. She had a smear of vomit on her cheek. She winced, reaching for a washcloth to wipe it off.</p><p>She looked a mess, even with a washed face. Nothing like Rose had looked when she was pregnant with Sam. Which...thoughts of Rose's pregnancy only brought her back to Rosalind's reaction to Rose's pregnancy. </p><p>Needless to say, Rosalind hadn't taken the news that one of her unit would be having a baby, again, all that well. Later that night, she had confessed to Farah that she was happy for Ben and Rose, but at the same time, Ben was one of the best earth fairies they had, and now his attention would be split. It was as good as a ringing endorsement of Ben's placement in their unit, from Rosalind at least.</p><p>Farah doubted Rosalind would have taken the news of her pregnancy much better than she had taken Rose's, even considering the guaranteed power of a child born from two powerful fairies. </p><p>She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing thoughts before she searched for wherever she had tossed her purse.</p><p>She needed to go out, buy a pregnancy test, because Farah was a practical woman, and there  really was no use freaking out over the <em>possibility </em>of a pregnancy. Really. There wasn't. Now, if only she could convince herself of that.</p><p> </p><p>----</p><p> </p><p>It was a week later, after she'd tossed Saul a good twenty feet through the air that she finally caved and travelled to the human realm.</p><p>She hadn't meant to hurt him, and Saul hadn't done anything truly worthy of ire, just suggested she take  a break and tried to tug her up from her chair. Looking back on the incident, a break would have been a good idea. Sorting through mounds of paperwork relating to Alfea, and the school that would have to be ready for the next semester of students had left her almost dead tired.</p><p>It was the fact that her magic had reacted instinctively that finally spurred her to get a test, because Farah had been trained by <em>Rosalind</em> in control. Her magic would not so much as move a blade of grass if she had not directed it to, even at her angriest. </p><p>But if she was pregnant-if a <em>fairy</em> were pregnant, their magic would react without a second thought to protect its child from even the measliest of threats, slipping easily out of the bounds of control of even the most powerful of fairies.  </p><p>She had quickly  determined she couldn't go to a hospital anywhere in the Other World. Though she had not been as widely renowned as Rosalind and Queen Luna, Farah was still quite easily recognized. </p><p>So she'd went to a Walgreens. On earth. In Arizona. The woman at the checkout had looked at what she was buying, turned slightly away from her, looked her up and down with a sneer, and barely lowered her voice as she'd said "A woman her age, all alone...so shameful." Her mind was colored with disgust when Farah had touched it with her magic, and  so she quickly withdrew.</p><p>Rosalind would have killed the woman, or rewrote her mind. Saul  would have punched her. Farah simply gave her a headache. It wasn't the cruelest punishment, and perhaps even childish, and Rosalind's voice had sneered in her mind, <em>weak</em> as she'd done it, but Farah's magic and emotions were under thin enough control as it was, and she feared if she did more, she would truly kill the woman.   </p><p>But she had her answer now, or at least as close to an answer as multiple home pregnancy tests could give. She was pregnant, with Rosalind's baby. </p><p>
  <em>Fuck.</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone who left kudos and comments on the last chapter! You guys are amazing :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. coming to terms</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ok, so, warning for brief mention of abortion in this chapter, between:</p><p>...Which gave her that amount of time to figure out what to do now.... </p><p>and</p><p>...She'd always wanted a family...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sitting in a Publix restroom-because there was no way she was going to be able to stay at the Walgreens she'd bought the test at without <em>someone's</em> brain melting, and it wouldn't be hers-Farah quickly decided she couldn't tell Saul or Ben, or anyone else about her pregnancy.</p><p>She hadn't slept with anyone but Rosalind in well over a year, and though no one knew <em>that</em>, Saul and Ben would know full well it couldn't have been anyone outside their unit.</p><p>Which left only two options for them to pick from. And Farah wouldn't...she <em>couldn't</em> have anyone knowing how <em>weak</em> she'd been. How easily led astray by Rosalind's smile and the way she'd press kisses into Farah's skin like promises.</p><p>And what made it worse, so much worse, was that it was<em> Rosalind's</em> voice in her ears whispering <em>weak, foolish, naive Farah. </em></p><p>Farah hadn't gone to visit her in the nearly four weeks Rosalind had been locked up. She didn't want to know if what she feared was true. If Rosalind really was just using her, or if she'd cared for her, but used her to devastate Aster Dell anyways. Farah didn't know which answer would be worse, and so she didn't visit. She wasn't sure she ever would.</p><p>And Farah certainly wouldn't tell her about her pregnancy. Rosalind didn't like weaknesses, but she liked power, and their child would be plenty powerful. She'd love their baby for that, if nothing else, Farah was certain. Which is exactly why Rosalind would never find out. Farah placed a hand protectively over her stomach. She wouldn't allow the possibility of her baby being used by Rosalind as she was. There were just too many questions left unanswered for her to chance anything on what her foolish heart thought, or for her to trust <em>Rosalind's</em> word on the matter. </p><p>Farah glanced at herself in the dingy mirror, pulling her shirt partway up her stomach. She wasn't showing yet, nor would she be for at least a month, perhaps two or three if she was lucky. Which gave her that amount of time to figure out what to do now.  </p><p>She wouldn't have an abortion. She'd always wanted a family, and despite Rosalind's betrayal, Farah <em>wanted</em> this baby.  This baby would be good, unspoiled by anything that had come before. This baby would be <em>hers</em>, and Rosalind's, the good, sweet parts of Rosalind that Farah remembered. She wanted this baby to exist in the world, if only for that fact.</p><p>It would be hard to raise her child by herself, but just the thought of Saul or Ben knowing, let alone anyone else, sent a deep bolt of shame and fear through her.</p><p>Rosalind had amassed many enemies, as she'd ascended though the ranks of the Alfean military, and any one of them would love to have a powerful child to raise, even more so if it could serve as one last one up to the memory of the woman they'd loathed. And the thought of  Saul or Ben knowing-she knew they wouldn't understand. She barely understood herself, but...despite what Rosalind had done,  despite how utterly foolish it was to continue to allow Rosalind any measure of care....Farah still loved her. She couldn't seem to stop. </p><p>So she'd just have to keep her pregnancy a secret. It would be hard, but she could do that. </p><p>Farah couldn't let someone else raise her child, nor did she want to. A child this powerful...it would be a disaster. A powerful air fairy, even as a child, could cause tornados and hurricanes with their temper tantrums. A mind fairy like herself could cause aneurysms, or manifest their nightmares.</p><p>She wouldn't know if the child was an air or  mind fairy, or perhaps born with both elements, until sometime in her third trimester. A fairy babe's magic truly began to assert itself then, not only with its bearer's magic, but on the world around them. Which was where the problem with Farah's plan presented itself. Their child's magic would seek out Rosalind, and the protection and safety that her magic would provide, recognizing its other parent. </p><p>Though the prison Luna had provided was supposed to dampen magic, that dampening was meant mostly for the prisoner <em>inside</em> the cell,  and so it wouldn't completely block out outside magic. Rosalind would know that she had sired a child, and who else could the mother be but Farah?</p><p>Farah gripped the sink tightly, trying to calm her racing heart. It would be okay. She had time now, time to prepare and find a way to shield the baby's magic before the child would be able to reach out to Rosalind, or place enough distance between herself and Rosalind that her baby's magic couldn't surpass it.</p><p>She breathed slowly out, pushing herself off from the sink before washing her hands. Everything was going to be alright. She just needed to make a plan. She could do that. </p><p>Farah smoothed her shirt down sharply with her hands, trying to make it look as unmussed as possible before she unlocked the stall door and saw people. </p><p>Her plan was to immediately leave and go back to the Other World. But not all plans survive first contact with the enemy, which in this case was the canned food isle. Farah passed it, wondering where this sudden desire for a pickle, tuna and peanut butter sandwich had come from, before she sighed and went to grab a small basket.</p><p>She dumped all the necessary ingredients she could find in that aisle into the basket, before going to search for the bread.</p><p>She looked over all the aisles, reading the helpful little placards that told her what was in them, before she finally gave up finding the bread on her own and walked up to one of the numerous people walking around in a green vest. </p><p>"Excuse me?" One of the green vested people turned around, smiling "Do you need help finding something, ma'am?" He trailed off there, and she flushed a little, following his gaze to her basket.</p><p>"Yes, thank you. Which aisle was the bread on?" </p><p>"Aisle three. It's in the back, in between the packaged meats and the produce." She nearly cursed. She'd passed that aisle several times already.</p><p>"Thank you."</p><p>She quickly walked back to the aisle she had already passed. She needed to be back at Alfea before her presence was missed, after all.</p><p>She could just play it off as taking a vacation day, but such breaks were quite unlike her, and the last thing she needed was for Saul or Ben to guess anything. And she'd have to avoid Rose, as well. She was usually more observant than either of the boys, and she <em>had</em> been pregnant once before, and was still pregnant with her second.</p><p>She finally reached the aisle, and made a beeline straight for the rye breads. </p><p>"Pregnant?" Farah jumped, before glancing back at the smiling woman who asked the question. She'd been so lost in her own head she hadn't even noticed when someone had joined her in the bread aisle.</p><p>"Sorry, I just..." The  blonde woman gestured to her basket.</p><p>"Er...I supposed it's rather obvious." Farah said, dropping the bread into her basket. </p><p>The other woman smiled slightly, before sticking out a hand. "I'm Vanessa. It's nice to meet you. Sorry, I don't really know why I'm here. I just...felt like I had to, I suppose. I just had one of my own," she lightly tapped her stomach, almost unconsciously, "and it's been a stressful few weeks. Mike, my husband, was off work today, so he took my Bloom for the day. I suppose it's a good thing, getting a break, but I've got to go back to work next week. I really don't want to leave her."</p><p>"Farah, " She said, shaking hands. "And I just found out, but I suppose the cravings have already started." Farah wondered if all humans were this chatty. This one certainly seemed to be, but Farah hadn't been in this world apart from short visits in quite some time.</p><p>Vanessa laughed softly. "Yes, that certainly seemed to be the case. When I was pregnant with my daughter, all I wanted to eat was lime ice cream with bacon bits and pickles. Makes me slightly nauseous when I think about now, but back then I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread!" </p><p>Farah blinked. That certainly sounded disgusting, but, glancing at her own basket, she decided she didn't have much room to talk.</p><p>Vanessa grabbed some of the whole wheat bread and placed it in her cart before waving slightly. "Well, I've got to go, but it was nice meeting you. Maybe I'll see you around some time."</p><p>"Yes, maybe."</p><p>Farah seriously doubted she'd ever see Vanessa again, but she still offered a cursory smile. </p><p>As soon as the other woman disappeared around the corner, Farah started walking to the checkout aisle. She needed to be back in Alfea as soon as possible. She needed time to research, not only how to block her baby's magic from reaching Rosalind, but also how she would manage to hide this from <em>everyone.</em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading! :)</p><p>And thank you to everyone who left comments or kudos on the last chapter, you guys are amazing!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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